Bahamas News

BAHAMAS: Joint Border Security Workshop With Customs and Immigration Officers Concludes

Published

7 years ago

November 6, 2017

#Bahamas, November 6, 2017 – Nassau – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Peter Turnquest said the complex nature of security is a challenge for all analysts, and tools are needed to crack complex security problems and assist in combating the proliferation and illicit trade of illegal firearms and ammunition and other contraband. As a result, DPM Turnquest said the Joint National Border Security Workshop involving 29 Bahamas Customs and Immigration Officers, is indicative of the irrefutable call to mobilise to meet the growing challenges.

The DPM was speaking at the closing ceremony of the workshop at Customs Headquarters, Friday, November 3, 2017. The training is one component of the much wider programme of works funded by the European Union’s 10^th European Development Fund geared towards strengthening the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) capacity to prevent and detect illegal activity at its borders and to enable increased prosecution and higher conviction rates.

DPM Turnquest thanked the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) and the EU for coordinating and conducting the five-day workshop.

“The goals of CARICOM’s IMPACS are to significantly improve citizen security in CARICOM, create a safe, just, free and economically viable environment and advance the region’s security interests in order that citizens may achieve their human development goals.

“The strategy prioritises the common security risks and threats which our country and the region are facing.”

The DPM said the greatest of these threats is the relationship between transnational organised crime nexus of the illicit commodities of drug and guns and their primary facilitation of corruption and gangs.

“Critical to addressing this risk is the increase in trans-border intelligence/information sharing and the strengthening of our borders.”

DPM Turnquest told the participating officers that as a result of the training, they should experience improved security techniques which would allow a reduction in wait times at checkpoints as passengers and cargo of no interest can be readily identified and processed. He added that their interviewing techniques, fraudulent document inspection, body language analysis, and luggage and person examination should all experience an improvement.

By: Llonella Gilbert (BIS)

Photo Caption:

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Peter Turnquest attended the closing ceremony of the Joint National Border Security Workshop where 29 Bahamas Customs and Immigration Officers received certificates of completion at the Customs Headquarters, Friday, November 3, 2017. Pictured standing left to right: Comptroller of Customs, Dr. Geannine Moss; DPM Turnquest; Officer Andrew Gittens; and the Director of Immigration, William Pratt.

(BIS Photo/Llonella Gilbert)

Bahamas News

Bahamas economic growth

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

The Bahamas’ economy is in good standing according to reports from the Bahamas National Statistical Institute which released the Quarterly Gross Domestic Product Series. They indicate that quarterly GDP trends for 2023 saw increases compared to 2022, a sign of recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic.

The most significant increase was 9.9 percent in the first quarter of 2023, and the industries responsible for the growth include Accommodations and food, construction and Arts.

Bahamas News

RBC appoints new Country Manager and Area Vice President for Turks & Caicos

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Shanieka

RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Limited (“RBC”) is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kerryl-Lyn King-Henry as Country Manager and Area Vice President (“AVP”), Personal and Commercial Banking, Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).

In her new role as Country Manager and AVP, King-Henry will take on full responsibility for the bank’s operations, strategy, and development in the TCI market, with a strong focus on solidifying partnerships with the Government, regulatory bodies, and the local community.

King-Henry brings to the role a dynamism influenced by nearly 25 years of industry experience. Prior to her new appointment, she served as AVP of Business Banking in Trinidad and Tobago. She has held progressively senior roles within both personal and commercial banking, as well as various functional units.

King-Henry holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a specialization in Leadership, FinTech and Big Data Analysis, in addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Further enriching her professional profile, Kerryl-Lyn is a certified John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, Teacher, and Speaker. Her passion for leadership and development is matched by her commitment to community service, as she actively volunteers her time and leverages her professional expertise to mentor and support others. “

Kerryl-Lyn’s extensive experience and proven leadership capabilities make her the perfect choice to lead our operations in the Turks & Caicos Islands,” said Ericka Rolle, RBC’s Managing Director and Vice President, Personal Banking, The Bahamas and TCI.

“Her commitment to excellence, combined with a genuine passion for community engagement, aligns perfectly with our Bank’s purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper. We are excited to see the positive impact she will undoubtedly bring to her new role,” she added.

Bahamas News

Get your laugh on, March On show coming to Turks and Caicos with box office at IGA Friday and Saturday

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Shanieka

Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

After resounding success in the Bahamas, hit play ‘March On, The Story of Us’ has been inundated with requests to take their show on the road, and the first location they’ll be hitting is Providenciales Turks and Caicos with tickets on sale this weekend from May 3 to 5.

Magnetic Media spoke to Gea Pierre, playwright, who told us the TCI was a natural first choice for the cast and crew.

“We started ‘March On’ in November 2023 and it was really an opportunity for us to tell a story, the story of the Bahamas and to encompass the nations that we have an amazing relationship with like the Turks and Caicos,” she continued “We really got a lot of people calling [for the play] from [the TCI], so much so we really had to pay attention.”

The response to ‘March On’ at home and abroad was overwhelming.

“To say it went well is an understatement, even before we opened we got calls from Canada, from all over the US with people wanting us to come and perform.”

And take the show on the road they did! Gea and her team have launched “March On: The Tour” and will be in Providenciales to perform on May 10th and 11th. It’s the first of a number of stops which include Nassau and several US locations.

A ticket booth will be set up from today, Friday May 3 in the foyer of IGA grocery store beginning at 1 p.m. Friday and then again all day on Saturday, allowing residents to purchase with cash.

Online tickets are available for purchase with credit cards. Then the full team returns on Friday, May 11 for the actual showing at 8 pm and their two showings on Saturday at 4pm and 8 pm. The venue is Brayton Hall, Providenciales under the patronage of Washington Misick, TCI Premier and First Lady Delthia Misick.

Describing the close familial relationships between the TCI and the Bahamas, for many on the crew it will be like coming home Gea told us, for others it will be a treat to visit for the first time, the places that their grandparents described.

Tickets are only $60 for general seating and $75 for VIP seating.

Gea maintained that the team wanted to keep the show as accessible to residents as possible.

As for why you should come out and see the play, other than the great price point:

“The way that people have responded to it is non stoplaughter, people have been moved to tears because there’s some emotion. It does not only lend to Bahamians. It’s a family drama, and anyone who’s ever been a part of a family is going to get something out of it, and something moving.”